Ground Turkey Sloppy Joes

Kylie and her best friend, Kendra, are at our house working on homework this afternoon.

Both in college, they have so much to do, and study together often. Sometimes it’s at the local Starbucks, sometimes at Kendra’s house, and today they are studying at our house. Kylie and Kendra met freshman year in high school and have been wonderful friends. I adore Kendra as well and think her parents are the coolest. Neil and Marcina, I bet you wish you were here tonight for sloppy joe’s! I’ll think of something fabulous to make for dinner when we finally get together for our game night.

Kendra is a singer and a fabulous one at that! She has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve heard. If you’d like to hear Kendra sing, feel free to check her out on iTunes and Spotify. You can find her under Kendra Checketts. You, too, will be mesmerized when you hear Kendra’s beautiful voice. Just a few minutes ago, Kylie and Kendra were listening to music and Kylie mentioned that was Kendra singing her new, unreleased song. I was blown away. She has quite the talent! I can’t wait to see her in concert one day. I already asked if I could sit in the front row … front and center. I told her I’d be the crazy lady cheering like mad. We actually did watch Kendra perform at a local establishment in San Diego several months ago. It was such a fun night and Kylie was extremely proud of her friend, singing beautifully in front of so many people.

I asked Kylie if Kendra would like to have dinner with us. I know it can be boring as an only child sitting at the dinner table with just your parents, so knew Kylie would love to have Kendra stay for supper. Figuring I should make something a couple college kids would enjoy, as well as Dennis and I, I decided on ground turkey sloppy joes.

To make the sloppy joes, I started by sautéing onion, celery and carrots in olive oil until they were starting to soften. (I did add a pinch of kosher salt and a pinch of pepper to the onion mixture for flavor.) Then, I added the minced garlic and let it cook for 45 seconds.

Next, the ground turkey was added to the skillet, along with a teaspoon of kosher salt and a half teaspoon of pepper. I cooked the turkey until it was browned and crumbly, stirring often. Once the meat was cooked, I added the tomato paste, ketchup, yellow mustard and brown sugar. A secret ingredient I learned to add from my mom, was a jar of chopped pimientos, drained. It is a fabulous ingredient to add to the sloppy joes, giving just the right hint of unexpected flavor.

Trader Joe’s sells White Truffle Potato Chips. If you like truffle flavoring, definitely buy these. They are really good! I served our sloppy joes with these chips and a pickle spear. Simple, but so good.

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Published by Sunshine and Savory

I love when my house is filled with people, having friends and family over for a meal feeds my soul. There is nothing I enjoy more than preparing for a dinner party, a holiday dinner, or a book club meeting when it's my turn to host ... If I could, I would own a Bed and Breakfast! This would ensure I'd always have someone to prepare a meal for. Being with others and sharing my table is what I look forward to most. I was born in Wisconsin and after I got married in 1987, my husband and I moved west for his job. He had just graduated college and we were married a couple months later. An interesting tidbit about me is that I never cooked a meal before I got married. I taught myself how to cook and found that I really enjoyed it. One of the first meals I made after we were married was a shrimp pasta dish. I made this for myself when my husband was on business travel and I had so much fun inventing this meal - this was the start of my love of cooking. I probably won't be posting much on shrimp dishes, since I am now allergic. Big bummer! I was allergic to lobster, and then had an issue with scallops, so just never had a shrimp after the scallop incident. Why couldn't I be allergic to something less enjoyable?! My favorite celebrity chefs are Ina Garten and The Pioneer Woman. I hope you enjoy my blog!
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